Sonny is a funny (looking, sister’s humor!), loving father, husband, brother and uncle. He has 2 brothers, 2 sisters, 5 nephews, 4 nieces and 3 loving children. I’m his baby sister Janet and this is what unexpectedly happened to my big brother!
This is Sonny’s Story...
Edward “Sonny” Kitchen had been ill on and off, experiencing massive weight loss and a cough that wouldn’t go away. He would go back and forth from doctor to doctor with no answers. One day as he was rushed from one of these appointments via ambulance in SVT (supraventricular tachycardia) our family was being prepared for the worst by the hospital.
During this stay we would come to know the cause of his illness. Sonny was diagnosed with and continues to battle Sarcoidosis (an inflammatory disease that affects multiple organs). In Sonny’s case it has attacked his heart causing great damage since his diagnosis in 2011. In the last 5 years, Capital Health Hospital and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania have saved his life multiple times.
In 2012, following his initial diagnosis, Sonny had an ICD (implantable cardioverter-defibrillator) implanted. Our hope was that, between the defibrillator and medications, his heart would return to acceptable working order and he could go back to a normal life. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
Our latest news is that Sonny has been evaluated and found to be a good candidate for a heart transplant. The transplant specialist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania are convinced that this is the only course of treatment for Sonny’s rapidly progressing heart disease, and that without it, his chance of survival is not good.
Sonny Needs Our Help!
As a result of Sonny’s medical disability he has had to leave behind the life he LOVES so much as a Firefighter/EMT and Medical/Fire 911 Dispatcher. The result of not being able to fulfill his duties, has added to that strain. Current and Future Hospital stays, post-transplant medications of up to $2000 a month, co-pays, lab fees and day-to-day expenses all add up.
While transplants are lifesaving, they are also financially draining. Despite insurance, Sonny and his wife will be facing very high medical expenses. To help with the financial burden of Sonny’s uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in his honor has been established by our family via GoFundMe.
On behalf of our family, we sincerely ask and thank you for your prayers, support and generosity. Please keep our brother, Son, Uncle, Husband, Father of three in your prayers for a smooth and fast operation and recovery. We will be providing updates on his health, the transplant journey, and news of upcoming fundraising events. To know that we are waiting for a family to lose a loved one in order that ours may live is quite humbling; therefore we ask for prayers for the donor and his/her family.
If anyone has further questions about Sonny, please feel free to contact me through email @: [email redacted]
This is Sonny’s Story...
Edward “Sonny” Kitchen had been ill on and off, experiencing massive weight loss and a cough that wouldn’t go away. He would go back and forth from doctor to doctor with no answers. One day as he was rushed from one of these appointments via ambulance in SVT (supraventricular tachycardia) our family was being prepared for the worst by the hospital.
During this stay we would come to know the cause of his illness. Sonny was diagnosed with and continues to battle Sarcoidosis (an inflammatory disease that affects multiple organs). In Sonny’s case it has attacked his heart causing great damage since his diagnosis in 2011. In the last 5 years, Capital Health Hospital and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania have saved his life multiple times.
In 2012, following his initial diagnosis, Sonny had an ICD (implantable cardioverter-defibrillator) implanted. Our hope was that, between the defibrillator and medications, his heart would return to acceptable working order and he could go back to a normal life. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
Our latest news is that Sonny has been evaluated and found to be a good candidate for a heart transplant. The transplant specialist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania are convinced that this is the only course of treatment for Sonny’s rapidly progressing heart disease, and that without it, his chance of survival is not good.
Sonny Needs Our Help!
As a result of Sonny’s medical disability he has had to leave behind the life he LOVES so much as a Firefighter/EMT and Medical/Fire 911 Dispatcher. The result of not being able to fulfill his duties, has added to that strain. Current and Future Hospital stays, post-transplant medications of up to $2000 a month, co-pays, lab fees and day-to-day expenses all add up.
While transplants are lifesaving, they are also financially draining. Despite insurance, Sonny and his wife will be facing very high medical expenses. To help with the financial burden of Sonny’s uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in his honor has been established by our family via GoFundMe.
On behalf of our family, we sincerely ask and thank you for your prayers, support and generosity. Please keep our brother, Son, Uncle, Husband, Father of three in your prayers for a smooth and fast operation and recovery. We will be providing updates on his health, the transplant journey, and news of upcoming fundraising events. To know that we are waiting for a family to lose a loved one in order that ours may live is quite humbling; therefore we ask for prayers for the donor and his/her family.
If anyone has further questions about Sonny, please feel free to contact me through email @: [email redacted]
Organizer and beneficiary
Janet Massenat
Organizer
Lawrence Township, NJ
Edaward Kitchen
Beneficiary